QURIOUS CONSUMER: GADGETS.

Ahead of the iPod pack--and packaging

July 06, 2003|By Chad Schlegel.

So you've bought the second-generation iPod at the new Apple store on Michigan Avenue; logged onto iTunes Music Store, Apple's new blockbuster online pay-per-song music service; and downloaded the new albums by Fischerspooner and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Just when you thought you couldn't be more au courant, along comes the geek-chic accessory of the season: the designer iPod carrying case.

For an urban edge, opt for iSkin's snug silicone shell--think of it as a pair of spray-on jeans for your iPod. It's available in 25 solid and translucent colors, including "Creamsicle" and "Martian." It's $20 from www.iskin.com; sizes are available for the new, smaller iPod.

Sticking with your original iPod model?

You can gussy it up with Coach's case, in red or white calfskin, available with an 8 1/2-inch strap or a dog-leash clip. It's $68 at the Coach store at 625 N. Michigan Ave., or at coach.com.

Pucci's glam interpretation is a zippered cotton pouch, emblazoned with a signature Technicolor pattern. It's around $100, exclusively from www.colette.fr; a smaller version to fit the latest iPod is coming soon.

The new iPods themselves run $299 for 10 gigabytes (capacity for 2,500 songs), $399 for 15 gb (3,700 songs) and $499 for 30 gb (7,500 songs), at Apple's Web site (www.apple.com) or the Apple store at Huron Street and Michigan Avenue. Downloading from iTunes is 99 cents per song.